Sony Music asked us to launch a new album by CROSSFAITH, a heavy metal band from Osaka, Japan.

But given there are hundreds of albums launched each year, how do you sell an album in an innovative way?

We needed to engage the metal community with an authentic and personalised experience that no-one else could give them. Plus, to succeed the idea had to be authentic, memorable and digital native considering our target spends a considerable part of their online.

The ultimate goal was to gain more fans across the world through the launch of the new album.

Make it Metal was launched in July before the worldwide album release in August, via a dedicated micro site. To execute the world’s first head-banging activated digital experience, we started by using an algorithm that captured the head-banging movements of fifty metal fans. The data was then fed into Optical Flow, a motion tracking program that reacts to color and brightness - a tool better than any current facial recognition technology.

The promotion of the experience was initiated via CROSSFAITH’s digital and social channels and personally introduced to the fan base by the founding members of the band.